Studies find mobile phone use increases risk of crash

The Virigina Tech Transportation Institute has released the results of studies it has performed on cell phone use and driver distraction. Though common sense dictates that talking or texting while driving is a bad idea, these studies help to put some real numbers around just how dangerous the practice is. The studies include observations of drivers for a total of more than 6 million miles of driving. The studies also differentiated light vehicles and heavy vehicles or trucks.

When it came to simply dialing on a cell phone the risk of a crash or near crash was 2.8 times that of a non-distracted driver for light vehicles. The practice was even more dangerous for heavy vehicles or trucks since the risk was nearly twice as much at 5.9 times. There was also a big difference between light vehicles and heavy vehicles or trucks when it came to simply reaching for an object while driving. Light vehicle drivers’ risk of a crash was 1.4 times as high as non-distracted driving. Heavy vehicle or truck drivers’ risk rose to 6.7 times.

One of the most dangerous risks was text messaging while driving a heavy vehicle or truck. Those engaging in that practice had a risk of crash that was 23.2 times as high as non-distracted driving. A summary of the findings of the studies was that any action that took the driver’s eyes away from the road would result in a higher risk of an accident.

Hmm, so let me get this straight. If something takes my eyes off the road while driving I am more likely to have an accident?

Seriously, there are some people that actually don’t see the harm in talking or texting while driving. Heck, some truck drivers watch movies while driving. Clearly, these are the people that need to hear the results of studies like this. Unfortunately, some drivers find out the risks too late and end up hurting other people who actually are keeping their eyes on the road.

The most stunning result of the studies was the fact that texting while driving a heavy vehicle or truck basically increased your chance of having an accident to about 1 in 4. That’s not very good odds when it comes to safe driving. It really makes you realize that there is no text message worth reading or responding to that would increase your risk of an accident like that.

Speak Your Mind

Jon Hoffman

I am very wary of any study on this subject because I have read through many of them and even saw the Mythbusters episode about talkign on the phone while driving, and none of them seemed to produce accurate results.

The test set up is usually not at all like real driving. For example, on Mythbusters the course that they had to drive through was very difficult compared to regular suburban driving. The results from a study like that would be better at determining whether race car drivers should or should not talk on the phone while driving.

The Virginia Tech study did say that the increased risk from just talking or listening was minimal, but I looked at the detail report and according to their findings, text messaging caused drivers to look at their phone (away from the road) for “4.6 seconds in a 6 second interval.” I’m not advocating that texting while driving is perfectly safe… but I have done it before and I look up at the road in between each letter and sometimes more than that as I know where to go for the next letter without looking at the phone sometimes. I don’t think I could EVER look away from the road for more than 2 seconds while driving… I would be so scared if someone MADE me look away for that long.

In addition to that, I think it is obvious that some individuals are significantly worse at driving and paying attention even when unhindered by anything else. So the small increase in risk from talking on the phone, or the high risk of texting puts those people past their “threshold of control.” I don’t like it when irresponsible studies lead to laws which are based on them. It will be very difficult to undo a law that bans cell phones in the car or texting once it is passed. For example, Tennessee just passed a law that makes texting while driving illegal.

Again, I don’t think texting while driving is perfectly safe… I just don’t think the issue should necessarily be solved through legislation. I would rather see an innovative solution to the problem, much like hands free car kits and voice control of phones. So I wish the groups behind these studies were more responsible in that regard. You never know who is going to use and quote the results of a study like this… nor do you know what purpose they will be using it for.